Gown And Method Of Use Thereof

ABSTRACT

A gown for invalid and immobile patients comprising a torso portion having a shoulder portion, sleeves, a slit forming an inverted ‘V’ winged opening along its posterior region, and apertures for receiving the head above the shoulder portion and hands beyond the sleeves.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/322,582, filed Apr. 9, 2010, entitled “GOWN AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF,” the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a gown for patients and more particularly to a gown capable of being easily donned by patients while fully or partially immobile.

BACKGROUND

The current design of hospital gowns presents application problems for patients that are bed-ridden or have a limited range of mobility. Typically, these gowns are short-sleeved garments that are provided to the patient by the hospital and worn by patients to assist in their overall care. In this regard, gowns are primarily thin in weight and loose fitting in order to regulate a patient's body temperature. Furthermore, these garments allow a patient to readily use a bed pan, receive medical shots through their buttocks, and be quickly observed and tended to in case of a medical emergency.

Unfortunately, under the present design, a patient must be repositioned in order to secure a gown to their body. Traditionally this has been done by tying a string behind a patient at the patient's back and/or waist regions. At this point, the patient must either be suspended or supported in an upright position. Naturally, this places individuals with mobility issues at an increased risk for acute pain, discomfort, and further injury. As such, there is an unmet need for a hospital gown that can be donned by a patient who remains in a prostrate or sitting position, for example lying on a bed or sitting in a wheelchair.

SUMMARY

Briefly described, in an embodiment, a hospital gown that may be donned by a patient lying (e.g., in a bed) or sitting (e.g., in a wheelchair) overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and meets the recognized need for such a gown by providing a solid, contoured front and a vertical slit that extends nearly the length of the gown. The slit may start just below the shoulder blades, under a head opening, and may form an inverted ‘V’ that allows for an open lower region. The openness of the gown's design allows a patient to easily slide his or her arms and head through matching holes of the gown while remaining in their hospital bed. Because the head opening may be constructed with a completely attached collar-area, thus requiring no tying of strings or use of other attachment means to secure the opening about the patient's neck, the presently disclosed hospital gown may be donned by a patient without require that the patient sit up, stand, or otherwise be moved from a lying or sitting position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Accordingly, the present disclosure will be understood best through consideration of, and with reference to, the following drawing Figures, viewed in conjunction with the Detailed Description referring thereto, in which like reference numbers throughout the various Figures designate like structure, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention in use on a wheelchair patient;

FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention in use on a bed patient.

It is to be noted that the drawings presented are intended solely for the purpose of illustration and that they are, therefore, neither desired nor intended to limit the invention to any or all of the exact details of construction shown, except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the claimed invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

In describing embodiments of the hospital gown for invalid and immobile patients and methods therein of the present invention illustrated in the Figures, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. The claimed invention, however, is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, in an embodiment, gown 10 includes vertical slit 20, head opening 30, first sleeve 40, second sleeve 50 and body portion 60. Body portion 60 may include rear section 66, front section 68, shoulder section 62, and bottom section 64. First sleeve 40 and second sleeve 50 may form openings 42 and 52, respectively. First sleeve 40 and second sleeve 50 may be of any length, including a short-sleeve length and a long-sleeve length.

Head opening 30 may be formed in shoulder section 62, where shoulder section 62 may be fully connected about, and forming, head opening 30. In this way, gown 10 may be placed over a patient's head and about a patient's neck without requiring that the patient sit up or be other moved from a sitting or prostrate position. Shoulder section 62's formation of head opening 30 ensures that gown 10 may be securely worn by a patient without the use of strings, buttons, snaps, or any other attachment means. Head opening 30 may be dimensioned for receiving the head of a wearer, and first sleeve 40 and second sleeve 50 are dimensioned for receiving the arms of a wearer.

Vertical slit 20 may extend from point 22, just below shoulder section 62, to bottom section 64, wherein vertical slit 20 is preferably centered on rear section 66 of body portion 60. Vertical slit 20 may taper outward starting from point 22 in a downward direction toward bottom section 64, such that the opening of vertical slit 20 is greater at bottom section 64 than at point 22. Alternatively, vertical slit 20 may be of uniform width from point 22 to bottom section 64. Vertical slit 20 may allow doctors, nurses, and care givers convenient access to a patient to provide medical care, perform injections, etc. Note that in some embodiments, rear section 66 may also include strings, ties, snaps, buttons, etc., that may be used to further secure gown 10 or otherwise hold closed vertical slit 20 if desired.

In use, the arms of a wearer may be extended through first sleeve 40 and second sleeve 50, and the head of the wearer may be extended through head opening 30. Vertical opening 20 is opened sufficiently to allow gown 10 to be worn over the torso of the wearer. Gown 10 can be placed on a wearer without the need to lift or roll the wearer.

For example, as seen in FIG. 1, a patient in a wheelchair may easily be able to don gown 10 by extending the patient's arms through first sleeve 40 and second sleeve 50, and by extending the patient's head through head opening 30. Similarly, as seen in FIG. 4, a patient that is prostrate or otherwise lying in a bed may easily be able to don gown 10 by extending the patient's arms through first sleeve 40 and second sleeve 50, and by extending the patient's head through head opening 30. Thus, patients situated in such configurations may be able to don a gown and thereby be comfortably covered without performing potentially painful movements to don or secure such a garment.

Gown 10 may be constructed of any material or fabric, and may be of any size, shape, and/or color. For example, in some embodiments, gown 10 may be sized according to the needs of the patient, e.g., larger sizes for larger patients and smaller sizes for smaller patients. In another example, gown 10 may be of a short length such that it only covers a patient's torso, or gown 10 may be a long length that covers a patient's legs and torso. Any length or size of gown 10 is contemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure.

Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted by those skilled in the art that the within disclosures are exemplary only and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments as illustrated herein. 

1. A gown for use by a partially or fully immobile patient, comprising; a torso portion having a front portion and a rear portion; a vertical slit extending at least a portion of the rear portion; and an opening formed in the torso portion dimensioned for receiving a head of a patient, wherein the gown can be donned on the patient without having to lift or roll the patient.
 2. The gown of claim 1, further comprising a first sleeve and a second sleeve dimensioned for receiving arms of the patient.
 3. The gown of claim 2, wherein the first sleeve and the second sleeve are a short-sleeve length.
 4. The gown of claim 2, wherein the first sleeve and the second sleeve are a long-sleeve length.
 5. The gown of claim 1, wherein the vertical slit is larger at a bottom section of the rear portion than at a top section of the rear portion.
 6. The gown of claim 1, wherein the vertical slit is of uniform width from a bottom section of the rear portion to a top section of the rear portion.
 7. The gown of claim 1, wherein the vertical slit is centered on the rear portion.
 8. The gown of claim 1, wherein the torso portion is fully connected about the opening formed in the torso portion dimensioned for receiving the head of the patient.
 9. The gown of claim 1, wherein the torso portion is a full body length of the patient.
 10. The gown of claim 1, wherein the torso portion is a length of a torso of the patient. 